The present invention is directed to a toaster having electronically controlled heating elements and a mechanism for moving the toaster shelf or grill between a heating position within the toaster and a delivery position forward and below the heating position. The invention is also directed to an overhead support for mounting the toaster to and below the underside of a cabinet.
A toaster which is adapted to be installed beneath a U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,749. A kitchen counter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,749. A toaster unit provided with a mounting bracket which may be attached to a surface is illustrated in U.S. De. Pat. No. 266,137. U.S. Pat. No. 3,230,862 discloses a toaster which is mounted on a counter surface.
German patent publication No. 2,224,762 discloses a parallelogram linkage for moving a grill horizontally. Toasters with a generally horizontally movable grill and a pivotable front door are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,693,538 and 3,859,903.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,392,663 and 4,296,312 disclose temperature sensors which directly contact a food article. U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,621 discloses the use of a thermistor in a toaster.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a toaster having a linkage mechanism which guides the grill as it moves by gravity between a heating position within the toaster and a delivery position forward and below the heating position.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a pivotable front door which is automatically opened and closed by the linkage mechanism as the grill transfers between the heating and delivery positions.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an electronic control for the heating elements which utilizes an IR sensor.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an electro-mechanical control for releasing the grill so that the grill may transfer from the heating position to the delivery position automatically when the food article has been toasted to the desired degree.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an overhead support mechanism for securing the toaster to and below the underside of a cabinet.
Other objects and advantages of the invention appear hereinafter.